Awake
by Ryujisama
Summary: Ever had trouble sleeping? Not so much as this unlucky ninja. Sometimes creating something for the greater good has its drawbacks... Rating boost due to language in the final chapter. Also changed the genre to just 'Mystery'
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The following fanfic is a creation of me (Ryujisama), and is made for fan purposes only. I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fanfic, with the exception of Shinobu Ishimaru (he's mine ). Any characters belonging to the Naruto series belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Without further ado, here's the story.

-- Awake --

-Chapter 1-

"NNNNNAUGH!!! Damn it all! Why haven't they made a machine to do this for me yet!?" came a loud voice from inside the Hokage's office.

"She's at her limit again…" Kotetsu said with a smirk.

"What? Has she reached her third form already?" joked Izumo. The two jounins chuckled a bit as they continued to stand guard through what seemed like another normal day in the village hidden in the leaves. Inside the room the two stood watch over, Tsunade was performing her daily ritual of trying her best to look " calm, poised, and official" as she forced herself not to stamp forms without reading them. Smirking, Izumo added, "At this point, she'll be wanting a drink now…"

"… Christ on a cracker, I need a drink…" Tsunade sighed.

"And Shizune-san will remind her of her duties in 3… 2… 1…" Kotetsu counted in his head. And without a second to delay, Shizune's voice could be heard through the door.

"Tsunade-sama, you must read and approve of these forms! They've been piling up for days now. Any longer, and you could create a small bonfire with them..." Realizing what she just said, Shizune slapped her mouth, as if to try and forbid her words from ever escaping her lips; however, it was too late. Upon hearing the phrase, an evil smile crept onto Tsunade's face. But remembering what occurred the last time this happened, the smile quickly turned into a frown, and Tsunade continued verifying the remaining forms that only further prevented her from the comfort of her sake bottle. It was just another normal day. That is, it would've been a normal day.

Back outside of Tsunade's office, Kotetsu and Izumo continued to stand watch when a small gust of wind carrying a handful of sakura petals began to form a swirling whirlwind of pink in front of the two jounin. The wind suddenly died down just as fast as it came, and the form of Kurenai Yuuhi stood in its place, gasping for air. "I need to speak with Tsunade-sama!"

Kotetsu noticing she was out of breath, he asked, "What urgent business do you have with the Hokage, Kurenai-sensei?"

"There's been an incident that calls for her attention!" She said in between gasps, trying to catch her breath. Almost as fast as her reasoning was spoken, the door to Tsunade's office flung wide open to find Tsunade standing in the doorway with an solemn, yet overjoyed look on her face. Whatever it was, she'd obviously leave the forms at the drop of a hat since she now has the chance to do so with a reasonable excuse. "An incident!? What kind of an incident!?" Tsunade asked in her most "professional" tone of voice. Almost simultaneously, Kotetsu, Izumo, and Shizune sighed a heavy sigh at how perceptive Tsunade was when it came to ditching her responsibilities.

"Tsunade-sama…" Kurenai bowed out of respect before her village leader before continuing. "… It's… It's Ishimaru-san. We've received word that he has been killed inside Jutsu Training Facility Thirteen." Not exactly what she wanted to tear herself away from the forms to hear. If there was anything she didn't even want to look into that was more troublesome than stamping forms all day, it was investigating the murder of other ninja within her own village. After a long period of awkward silence between the five ninjas, Tsunade finally spoke up, "... Gather a team of medical ninja to the murder site to meet me there in 5 minutes."

Kurenai bowed again, and replied, "Yes, ma'am." With that, her form disappeared in another swirl of sakura petals just as fast as it had appeared earlier before Kotetsu and Izumo. After another moment of silence, Tsunade walked back to her desk, and began searching it for some hidden object or compartment. "Tsu… Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, not sure of what was going on through her leader's mind. Still searching her desk, Tsunade finally found a button underneath her desk that opened a secret drawer once she pressed it. Inside the drawer was a sake bottle, waiting to be opened. After retrieving the bottle, Tsunade turned towards Shizune and said, "… I'm really gonna need a drink for this…"

Later, after Shizune hurriedly made sure that Ton-ton was fed, Tsunade and Shizune arrived at the jutsu training facility where the man known as Ishimaru had allegedly been murdered in cold blood. During their journey, Tsunade kept taking sips from her trusty sake bottle, despite Shizune's constant nagging. Standing in front of the building with a handful of medical ninjas waiting for an order, Tsunade surveyed the scene in silence. Shizune, still unaware of the situation, looked towards Tsunade and muttered, "…Tsunade-sama?" As if she couldn't hear her, Tsunade immediately began barking out orders to the medical ninja that gathered there. "You two enter the building and find any and all clues as to what killed Ishimaru-san! I want the body inspected thoroughly, and the room combed until you find everything that could possibly be related!"

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune tried to get her attention again, but failed just as easily as her first attempt. Tsunade continued shelling out orders.

"You three, search the building for evidence determining the point of entry of his killer! And you, search the area for any witnesses, and get me another damn bottle of sake!"

"Tsunade-sama!!" Shizune yelled suddenly. Her latest attempt to grab Tsunade's attention was finally successful, as it was returned with a "…What?" from a slightly drunken Tsunade. A little taken aback by her yelling at her leader, Shizune took a deep breath and asked, "Who is Ishimaru-san? And why are you so troubled over his death?"

"… I'll tell you after I get my bottle of sake…" was all that she said after retreating back to her office in silence. Having given out her orders, she left the scene without receiving the comfort of her new bottle of sake. All there was to do now was to wait for the results of the medical ninja's search. Shizune stood there staring off in Tsunade's direction. Her mistress's response only increasing her curiosity.

-End Chapter 1-

Author's Notes: Well! Who is Ishimaru-san, indeed! How was it for my first fanfic since not writing any in such a long time? Anything I could improve upon that I can use in the next chapter? Questions? Comments? … Flames? Bring 'em all on! Leave me a review and I'll see you in Chapter 2.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: The following fanfic is a creation of me (Ryujisama), and is made for blah blah blah. I do not own any yadda yadda yadda, with the exception of Shinobu Ishimaru. Any characters belonging to… You know the rest.

-- Awake --

-Chapter 2-

The inside of Tsunade's office seemed a lot quieter when she returned after earlier's issuing of orders. Despite the ammount of alcohol she consumed, Tsunade was more than capable of finding her way back without any assistance. She stared out of the nearest window, looking in the direction towards the jutsu training facility Shinobu Ishimaru's body was found. Off in the distance, a crow began cawing to the ninja village, signifying that the sun was setting. _'Another day wasted away on reading and stamping... Well, with the exception of earlier's event'_. Tsunade sat down in her chair and closed her eyes. Without a bottle of sake to comfort her, Tsunade leaned in the chair, memories of the past flooding her mind like a tsunami. Memories of times before she left the Hidden Leaf Village... Memories of a young ninja with ambition... "Damn… Thought I taught him better than that…" she sighed to herself, trying to erase the thoughts of things that long since happened in the past. It wasn't until she decided to leave to go buy her own bottle of sake, that she received a knock at her door. "Who is it?"

"It's Shizune, Ma'am. I've got the results from the investigation site," came Shizune's voice from the other side of the door.

'_I hoped the results weren't gonna show until at least tomorrow… I gotta hire some less competent ninja_…' She sighed, hearing about the speedy results from the murder site. "Come in, Shizune." Shizune complied. Entering the room with her back against the door, Shizune appeared with a small bundle in her arms.

"Ano… I, uh, I have the results here--"

"You already said that." Tsunade interrupted quickly. Perhaps the sake was finally getting to her, but she didn't want to be bothered too much about troublesome things. Perhaps she picked this trait up from a certain chunin in the village.

"Err… Right. I'm sorry." Shizune apologized.

The room was beginning to feel very tense, as something was definitely bothering Tsunade; but be that as it may, Shizune feared asking any direct questions related to the incident. After a long awkward silence, Shizune finally spoke up. "A-anyway… I have a few things from the scene of the crime the team of Medical Ninja have compiled together." She set the bundle down onto Tsunade's desk. The bundle contained a few manila folders, a wrapped-up brown paper bag placed in a plastic bag, and a small tape recorder. Reaching out for the folders, Shizune began to read out the information from inside the first folder. "The first folder contains personal information about the victim. Let's see... uh... his full name is--"

"Shinobu, Shinobu Ishimaru. Height, 6'2''; Hair color, black; Village of Birthplace, Village of the Hidden Leaf; Current relatives, none; Current Family members, none; Last known weight, approx. 172 lbs; Last known ninja class, Medical Ninja; Hobbies, researching jutsus for field use, and drinking sake. Anything I missed, because that folder's useless." Tsunade interrupted again, reciting the profile of the victim from memory. It didn't take a rocket scientist for Shizune to realize that Tsunade knew this man a lot more than she originally thought.

"Ok… So you did know him, and I take it, he wasn't just some Medical Ninja you just happened to know?" Shizune boldly asked. Tsunade's interruptions were trying Shizune's patience.

"Yeah… I knew him. I trained him myself, actually. He had the potential to be an even better Medical Ninja than I... Hell, I couldn't turn my back for a second without him waiting to learn his next jutsu from me… Such raw talent… and my god, could he put away sake!" The room had suddenly gotten a lot less tense when Tsunade recounted tales of someone that drank even more than she did. "Bottle after bottle after bottle. It was like he was a fish in a tank of water! It was awe-inspiring!"

"My god, we're investigating the death of her former drinking partner…" Shizune unwittingly said out loud. Tsunade flashed a deadly look at Shizune after hearing the comment from her protégé, yet disregarded it for it was the absolute truth. Clearing her throat, Tsunade said, "Ok, I'm going to look over this evidence, Shizune; but I think it's going to take me all day to go through it all. You may leave for the rest of the day."

"Yes, of course, Tsunade-sama." Shizune turned and headed for the door, but before leaving, she added, "Oh, and don't forget the rest of the forms for you to sign. They still need your approval."

'_Damn! She remembered_!' Tsunade cleared her throat again, and said. "O-of course I won't forget. I will not neglect my duties as the Hokage of this village!" Though at the moment, she was lying through her teeth like a professional world-class lawyer.

"Good! I'll see you tomorrow, Tsunade-sama!" With that, Shizune was out of the door, leaving Tsunade with the rest of the evidence from the investigation site.

"… Well, now, Shinobu-chan… What's become of you…?" she said aloud as she reached for the remaining items in the bundle. She first reached for the manila folders. Browsing through them, she determined that they contained a collection of log entries and notes. _'Not more stuff to read...! I'll get to these later.'_. The next thing she examined was the tape recorder. It was a small simple tape recorder that was completly caked in dust, and still had a cassette tape inside of it. A possible releif from the mundaneness of her constanly reading words on pieces of paper. Pressing a few of the buttons she became dissappointed when she noticed that the play and record buttons were a bit screwed up. That and the recorder needed a fresh pair of batteries. She sighed, '_It's always something, huh_?'

For now, the tape recorder would have to wait. That pushed the log entries up on her priority list. Ignoring them for now, she reached for the brown bag wrapped in a plastic bag. Thinking that the bag may contain something that need not be touched by human hands, she placed two fingers on the bag with one hand, and gathered her chakra with her other hand. Manipulating some of the trapped air inside the plastic bag with her own chakra, the brown paper bag began to unravel itself to reveal the contents from inside it. However, Tsunade would not find the site pleasing. As the bag sprung to life, two small items were revealed from within the paper bag. To Tsunade's shock, they were Shinobu gouged-out eyes. After her initial shock, upon closer inspection, Tsunade noticed something strange about the pair of eyes. The pupils were still dilated.

-End Chapter 2-

Author's Notes: Well, we're finally getting to the "meat and potatoes" of the story! Finally! For those of you who are keeping track of the story, so far, be prepared! The writing style is going to change slightly in the next few chapters. Still, leave an honest review, and we'll be "seeing" you (ha ha) in Chapter 3.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: The following fanfic is a creation of me (Ryujisama), and is made for fans by fans. All characters, except Shinobu Ishimaru don't belong to me. If they did, I wouldn't have to be writing fanfics about them. Ha ha. Anyway, here's the story.

-- Awake --

Chapter 3

An hour later, after Tsunade had taken a look over a few of the items collected, and had calmed down after the "eye-opening" experience; she finally had a good grasp of the incident. Apparently, Shinobu was working on creating and finalizing a jutsu for use in the open field. He'd been working on it for nearly half a year until his untimely death. That much was clear, but what was confusing was that under closer inspection of the investigation site by the team of Medical Ninjas dispatched there, there was no sign of forced entry by an outside force of any kind; and yet, Shinobu's body had shown signs that a struggle took place. Perhaps he was perfecting the jutsu under the watchful eye of a comrade, and his friend was replaced by an assassin?

"That can't be right," Tsunade said, shaking the thought from her head. "He usually works alone, no matter what it is he's working on… And I can't think of anyone that'd put a price on his head in any of the other villages..." There was one thing to do for now: read the logs he had written and get some batteries for the tape recorder. Taking a quick glance at the clock on her wall, the time read '8:45 P.M.'. She sighed, "Gonna be burning the midnight oil for this one…" She reached for the manila folder containing the logs and began her literary journey from page one.

- Shinobu Ishimaru -- Medical Ninja - Jounin Class.

- Granted special permission by the current Hokage, Sarutobi Sandaime-sama to create and perfect a new jutsu for field use on this 23rd day of May in the year XXXX.

'_What the_…' She stopped reading after reading the date. '_This was not too long before I became the Hokage_…' She paused for a moment and then continued reading.

- The documentation of this event will be logged for later use and study should the parties involved are unable to continue.

-Day 1-

(12:00) - Today, I, Shinobu Ishimaru, will embark on a journey I've taken many times before. Armed with my trusty bottle of sake, and a fistful of dreams, I vow to create and perfect a jutsu for future use by other ninja in the field. I swear here and now to never give up until my jutsu is ready for public use. Wish me luck!

(12:30) - After gathering all of my needed belongings, I've arrived at Jutsu Training Facility Thirteen. Here, I shall create my base of operations for creating the now un-named jutsu. I feel somewhat exhilarated, knowing that my efforts here will open doorways of opportunity for future generations to come. Ok, that was an exaggeration, but its how I feel.

(15:45) - After much deliberation, and trail and error, I've come up with the name, purpose, area to gather chakra, hand seals, and method of deactivation for the jutsu I'm trying to create. The jutsu's name shall henceforth be called the "**Sutaminagan"**, literally meaning, the "**Stamina/Energy Eye**", and it requires a very small amount of chakra to activate and maintain. The purpose of this jutsu is to eliminate the problem of loss of stamina between ninja during long, drawn-out battles such as wars and field missions that take over the course of many days. Though it is true that once chakra is created, stamina cannot be returned, I have developed a way that proves that statement false! A rare and incredible find, indeed! First, one must gather chakra into their head, namely their face; then, by using the hand seals **Uma** (Horse), **O-ushi** (Ox), **Ousu-buta** (Boar), **Tori** (Bird), and **O-hitsuji** (Ram). Once a ninja finds that their stamina has reached a satisfactory level (it varies by each ninja), then by simply forming the **O-hitsuji** hand seal, and saying **Kaihou** (Release), the jutsu will deactivate, with the ninja's stamina restored.

My inspiration for this jutsu came to me from an ancient tribe from years past that believed that all sources of energy entered from the eyes. This tribe spent their years drawing in energies by staring into the sun at dawn before starting their day. As odd as this practice sounds, I've used it as the basis of my jutsu creation. To test the efficiency of this jutsu, I've decided to expend my stamina by perfecting and/or enhancing my other jutsus I've learned so far. I shall report back once I've done so, and have successfully tested the Sutaminagan.

(21:00) - Success! Sutaminagan has been deemed a success! To further expend my stamina, I decided to offer a training session to one of the Genins I came across earlier today. I think his name was Akamaru..? No, wait. That was the name of the ninja's dog. The Genin was called Kiba, now that I remember. He seemed overly energetic, for someone who was going to train with a Jounin. Whatever his reasoning, he certainly had what it took to lower my stamina to a reasonable level! His attacks, though some were more vulgar than others, took nearly all of my ability to fend off…! I somewhat worry when that boy achieves Chunin level one day…

After we parted ways, I made sure that nobody was around before using the Sutaminagan, for this was still an experimental jutsu. It was such an exhilarating feeling! Near moments after I performed the jutsu, I felt my face tense up, and the world seemed a bit brighter. However, after that subsided, I felt like a new man! I could "feel" energy rushing through my body, coursing through my veins! It was as if I was a solar panel, and someone had placed me within 10 feet of the sun! It felt great! Before I got too carried away, I then deactivated the jutsu and decided to try out how effective the effects were. I found that my abilities were just as good, if not better than when I woke up this morning! I truly felt "alive" at that point. Calling it a night, I decided to end the experiment there for now, and jogged around the village to burn off some of the excess stamina. I then returned to my base back at Jutsu Training Facility Thirteen. I look forward to a good night's rest tonight, and look forward to tomorrow's results.

-End of Day 1-

Tsunade laid down the logs after reading her former protégé's findings. "He found a way to restore lost stamina…? But… but that's impossible… even for my skill level… The Chiyute no Jutsu, Saisei no Saibou, and Souzousaisei only heals physical wounds… and the Kyuushuu no Chakra technique drains chakra and makes it your own, but you need to touch someone else for it to work… Did his skill truly surpass mine?" The fact that her self-proclaimed title as the best Medical Ninja ever was taken by someone who was taking lessons from her was a bit disheartening, but still, '_If he was so great, why is he dead now_?' She covered her mouth from thinking such a thing, and frowned at herself for having negative thoughts against a dear friend. Even so, the fact that he discovered how to recover lost stamina without food and/or rest is an amazing find… But is it all true? Only by reading further would she find the truth. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it read almost 10:00. Had time flown that by that fast? She got up from her chair and opened the nearest window. She'd need some fresh air if she was going to continue her journey for truth into the past.

-End Chapter 3-

A/N: How do you like the new writing style? I know about the subject of chakra and how it is created, manipulated, etc. So it took a while to find out if I could "create" the Sutaminagan jutsu without breaking the basic fundamentals of chakra controlling. As you can see, even Tsunade is confused about how Shinobu-kun can perform such a feat. But is it really what's happening? Find out in later Chapters! Also, if this is too slow, let me know, and I'll speed up the next chapter a bit. See you in Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The following fanfic is a creation of me (Ryujisama), and is made for fans purposes of all shapes and sizes. Any character mentioned in this story, with the exception of Shinobu Ishimaru, does not belong to me. If they did, it'd be "hell-a-cool".

-- Awake --

Chapter 4

The clock on the wall was nearing 11:00, when Tsunade decided to return to the logs. Having read into the written records of her former student, she found that she was more confused than when she first started. Though she found few answers, Tsunade often found she was faced with an even greater amount of questions. Questions she hoped that would be answered by the time she finished going over the evidence that was gathered. "Well, I've procrastinated long enough… Back to work." Walking over to the desk, and sitting down once again in her desk chair, Tsunade picks up where she left off. As she read, she tried her best to picture Shinobu and his endeavors to create/perfect his newest jutsu.

-Day 2-

(11:45) - I apologize for my lateness in reporting in today. There was a medical incident that required my attention. It seemed that a Genin had injured himself during shuriken training, and I was the only medical ninja available at the time. Having used the Sutaminagan the previous night, I have decided that I must work out all of the "bugs" that are involved with this jutsu. That's right; now the "fun" part begins. Before I can deem this jutsu ready for field use, I have to try to manifest any and all chances for the jutsu to backfire. I'm gonna have to find out what happens when someone screws up when trying to activate the jutsu, and determine if there are any side effects while and after the jutsu is active. Thanks to the medical training that I received from my teacher, one of the legendary Sanin, Tsunade-sensei, I should be able to counter any and all problems that arise during this dangerous process. I'm going to start off by first fulfilling the requirements for a ninja to use the Sutaminagan.

(18:15) - It seems that my suspicions when I first used the Sutaminagan are correct. After using the jutsu, I accidentally forgot to disperse the effects. This became apparent when I walked back towards the Jutsu Training Facilities and I was stopped by one of the non-ninja villagers in the streets. After seeing me, the man suddenly asked if I was a descendant of the Hyuuga clan. After telling him "no", he then asked me why was my face incredibly tensed up, and my eyes were incredibly dilated. I excused myself, and immediately came back here to my base. Finding the nearest mirror, I spotted the visual changes to my visage the man had described to me. Apparently, when someone uses this jutsu, they begin to exhibit a look that closely resembles the prestigious Hyuuga clan's Byakugan. Pulsing veins became visible around the eye area, and my pupils were, indeed, dilated beyond normal. Also, my eyes seemed to be glowing in the faint darkness of the room I was in. I deemed these changes as non-threatening, and have decided to continue research. I shall report in later.

(20:00) - Nothing to report at this time, or rather, there are no further symptoms to report at this time. If nothing else happens, I'll just call it a night and continue tomorrow.

-End of Day 2-

So far, the only thing that went wrong was a change in his physical appearance. "That's pretty normal, considering that there are a lot of jutsus that changes its user's outward appearance. Maybe that's all there was to it?" Tsunade didn't find cause for alarm so far. Everything seemed fine at the moment. She continued reading.

-Day 3-

(00:07) - … I couldn't sleep. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to force myself to sleep. Too bad I can't take any sleeping aids to help. They'd probably interfere with the effects of the Sutaminagan… I think I'll go jog a few times around the building to tire myself out.

(03:00) - … Still can't sleep… Maybe the thought of trying to find out something wrong with this jutsu has made me anxious. I'll try sitting here doing absolutely nothing. Maybe I'll force myself to sleep tonight.

(4:00) - Still can't sleep…

(5:00) - Still can't sleep…

(6:00) - Still haven't been able to sleep… But the sun is starting to come up now... and I'm running out of ideas to fall asleep... Perhaps I can copy that ancient tribe I tried to emulate so that I could make this jutsu. Heh… As if I could absorb the sun's rays through my eyes… Still, it shouldn't be too farfetched. I'll give it a shot as soon as the sun rises this morning.

(6:45) - With the night finally over, and the sun rising, I decided to test out my theory. Thank goodness I was right. With the rising of the sun, the Sutaminagan immediately took effect, and I was able to draw energy from the life-giving sun that shown upon the earth. An odd thing that occurred was that the Sutaminagan activated itself near-instantly without my performing of the hand seals to activate it… Strange indeed… It was as if the jutsu had responded to my weary-ness. I'll report later on any findings or changes in my health's status.

(10:45) - There was a demonstration in front of the Hyuuga clan's estate today. In an attempt to display their power, they gathered a group of Genin to showoff their famous Byakugan. Oddly enough, my hands started to move on their own. Without knowing it, my hands were performing the various hand seals the head of the Hyuuga clan was performing to activate his clan's Kekkai Genkai. Now its common knowledge that nobody can just copy a clan's Bloodline Limit; but I swear, here and now upon pain of death, that for a brief moment, I was able to see the tenketsu of all the people in the crowd! I left the scene, and heading back to my base, I decided to keep the discovery to myself for now. Perhaps one of the side effects of the Sutaminagan is to allow me to copy other's jutsus, like the Sharingan… Not just ordinary jutsus… but Kekkai Genkais as well…! I'm shaking with excitement…! This jutsu seems to be evolving from its original purpose…

The next log that Tsunade was about to read was almost illegible to the point where she could barely read any of it at all. Peering closer to the paper, she was able to decipher the surprisingly sloppy handwriting.

(17:36) - I msfdhgust apologize. For some asrwreason, I just coujaldnt satwy awake for too long. I've wastwgaed time sleeping therwtourgh the whiaoile day.

Tsunade was having a terrible time indeed, but she continued reading.

I tried to write an entry beefaowre but my hand was shaking too mucahaw for me to write. I'm going to refcasordi my othwre entries on tape…..

"And the logs stop here… That means I need some batteries." She looked at the tape recorder sitting longingly next to her. The contents it held just waiting to be played and listened to by human ears. Taking a glance at the clock, it read "1:15". This hadn't helped her at all. Just seeing how late it was into the night was making Tsunade feel sleepy, but she couldn't sleep now. She was about to hear his voice again. That is, she will if she can get some batteries first. She begins her search.

"Ok, which batteries do we need..?" she opened the back of the recorder. "What the…? A 9-volt battery!? Who the hell uses those kinds of batteries anymore!? Nnnnggh! Damn it, there's always something, isn't there!?" she shouted at nobody in particular. She was frustrated to the point where she could pull her hair out until there wasn't any more left. She got from her desk and began checking the back of any and all electronic devices for the elusive 9-volt battery. "AA Battery… AAA Battery… Two C Batteries… Hey, a D battery! I need one of those…" She pockets the battery and keeps up her search. "9-volt, 9-volt… 9-volt… What on this god-forsaken earth uses 9-volt batteries anymo…"

She stops in her tracks and slowly looks over at her faithful clock hanging on the wall. Taking it down and checking behind it, her search had ended. The clock was indeed powered by the very 9-volt battery she needed. "Well, now, Shinobu-chan… Let's see what your voice sounds like after missing you for so long." She puts the battery inside the tape recorder and presses play. Expecting to hear an eloquent, enunciatively calm voice, Tsunade came to a rude awakening, when the first words that came out of the tape recorder's speakers were: "If I felt like it, I could kill the Hokage without a second thought."

-End of Chapter 4-

A/N: You know, I feel that there are some things you probably shouldn't do when writing a fanfic. Two of those things are writing at 2:00 A.M. or later, and writing while drinking alcoholic beverages (Smirnoff - Ice tastes pretty good, by the way). Yet somehow, I was able to finish this chapter. I'll have to agree with Tsunade, though. I can't seem to find anything that runs on a 9-volt battery these days. In fact, I almost didn't believe it when a customer walked into my store and asked where she could find the 9-volt batteries. I figured that people would want to hear what Shinobu-kun has to say as his jutsu slowly drives him more and more to the brink of insanity, so I decided to switch it to the tape from now on. Did you have trouble reading the final written entry? Don't worry, actual words are written in those jumbles of messes you see above. Thank you for reading, and we'll see you in Chapter 5.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! Welcome to the Disclaimer, that's right, the Disclaimer! This American apple-pie-institution involving copy written material has been placed here to let you know that the characters named in this series (with the exception of Shinobu Ishimaru, and Kanae Ishimaru) do not belong to this story's author in any way, shape, or form. In fact, this disclaimer was inspired by the introduction from the CD "Ixnay on the Hombre" by The Offspring. So without further to do, and no other excuses to stall for time, please enjoy the story. I can't make this stuff up, people… wait… yes I can. I'm just too lazy to do it.

-- Awake --

Chapter 5

"If I wanted to, I could kill the Hokage…" came the first spoken words from the tape on the handheld tape recorder. Before she continued, Tsunade pressed the stop button and stared at the recorder as if Shinobu, himself was inside the palm of her hand. His words struck her as unusual in multiple ways. The two most unusual being that Shinobu was remembered as a man who became a medical ninja because he abhorred killing on any side, and because of that, to hear him speak of assassinating their previous village's Hokage, was even more disturbing. Wondering what he could be thinking to motivate such a thought, Tsunade continued to listen to the recordings on the tape.

"… that's what a lot of ninja would say if they were to come up against us in a surprise attack; but with my jutsu, Konoha's ninja forces should be more than enough to defend him. cough, cough."

'_So he wasn't planning on Sandaime's assassination… thank God… Wait… coughing?_'

"I must apologize for my apparent sickness… It seems my health has taken a turn for the worst… cough, cough. Perhaps it's due to my lack of sleep lately. During the nights, the Sutaminagan often prevents me from sleeping, so I've decided to drop the habit of sleeping. A dangerous cough, excuse me… A dangerous path, indeed, but I'm sure my efforts will pay off. cough, cough, hack. Excuse me… I need some water."

'_What's going on…? Shinobu was usually a vision of perfect health…'_ Most medical ninja are required to have better health than most ninja for medical purposes, but Shinobu was known to be pretty exceptional in the area of cleanliness. She continued playing.

"Damn it!" Shinobu's frustrated cursing was followed by a sound of things being thrown left in right. "Where's that bitch-of-a calendar…cough, cough! Ah, forget it… Today, I've felt a little sicklier, so I've decided to rest up and regain my strength. To prevent my ailments from spreading, I've decided to quarantine myself until I've recovered. I must admit I'm a little embarrassed to allow myself to get this ill. I'll make up for it later… On a lighter note, I was paid a surprise visit today cough. My younger sister, Kanae, stopped by outside. I would've invited her inside, but I didn't want her to get sick from any diseases I might have."

'_Little Kanae…? B-but she's_…'

"I've always wanted to discuss things with her for not having seen her for so long… To finally have done so, was like a huge burden being lifted off of me. We talked for hours on end, catching up on the latest things that happened to each other. I told her about what I was working on, and she merely smiled and told me to do my best. Kanae-chan… Funny… she looked exactly the way she did when she died 12 years ago… Yawn I'm gonna end it here for now. I'll report later."

"WHY THE FUCK CAN'T I GO TO SLEEP!?!?" His voice echoed for what seemed like forever, and then the next recording session started.

"Sorry about that earlier… just a little frustrated and tired, I guess… Anyway, I decided to work out a bit to attempt to boost my immune system… The results weren't too well. cough, cough" This was apparent because his voice seemed a bit weaker during this recording. "I tried some shuriken training to keep my aim and precision sharp, but I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if I wanted to. My taijutsu also seemed to suffer, do to me being sick… I can't throw a punch without me loosing balance, and any kick I try seems to always make me nauseas to the point where I'm about to vomit… My vision's also starting to get blurry… Why'd I decide to do this shit in the first place?"

Whatever was happening to him, it wasn't good. Shinobu was sick, and apparently in more ways than one. As Tsunade listened to his recordings, she noticed he was becoming physically sicker. Often he ended up coughing so much; he'd end the recording and try again later. Odder, still, besides him loosing a grip on his physical strength, he was also starting to loose his grip on reality. He was 'visited' by more people she was quite sure had died years ago, but even thought he sounded calm talking about their conversations, it didn't change his mood for the better. He cursed more than usual, his speech became more vulgar, he sometimes slurred his words, and he was becoming even more irritable. He often mentioned his frustration with his inability to sleep peacefully, or sleep at all for that matter. It brought tears to her eyes to know that the person she once knew as a symbol of perfect health was slipping away with each recording she heard. His humanity, his skills, his very self, all of it was being swept away… all for the sake of this one jutsu. '_What in the world have you created, Shinobu-chan…? Why won't you stop torturing yourself_?' She assumed this endless cycle of self-mutilation would continue until she heard perhaps Shinobu's final recording on the other side of the tape.

"I'm not going to make it out of here alive…! Someone's out there! I just know it! That bastard's out to obtain my secrets! … He's out to get my eyes…! But he won't get them. Try as he might, I won't let him have what I've been working on up till now. He can be damned sure about that! What…? …You! I know why you're here! You want my power, don't you?"

'_Who is he talking to!? I thought the room was sealed to prevent entrance due to him being sick_?' Tsunade wondered. The investigation of the sight said that Shinobu died in a struggle, but there were no signs of forced entry. '_Perhaps_…' As she wondered how the intruder got in, she continued listening.

You want the Sutaminagan for yourself! Is that it, fucker!? Well piss off! I'm not going to hand it over to some asshole like you!" the sound of a battle rang from the speakers of the tiny tape recorder. In between coughs and battle yells, Shinobu tried his best to deter his "attacker". Closing her eyes, Tsunade tried to visualize a life-or-death struggle between a desperate ninja, and a ninja on the verge of insanity. Her eyes flash open as she heard Shinobu scream a cry of pain, signifying that he'd lost. "Shinobu-chan…!"

"Tch… God… damn it! I'm not handing it over to you… no matter what, you bastard…!"

Without knowing why, Tsunade's mouth opened, and she began to call out towards Shinobu's voice, as if her own voice would change what was unfolding on the tape recorder. "Get out of there, Shinobu-chan… Just run away…!"

"Thanks to this wound… I'm not gonna make it out of here… but you're not leaving with my secrets…! No way in hell I'd allow that! But just so you know… the main driving force behind this jutsu is its user's eyes… and if I gouge mine out, then you're hopes of learning what I learned… will be smashed to pieces…!"

"Stop it, Shinobu! That's not going to help you!"

"I don't care what happens to me now…! But my efforts will go on!"

"STOP IT!!!"

"Hng… Nnnngghh. AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHH!!!!! GUAAAAAAAUGH!!!! AAAAAAAHHHH FUCK!!!! gasp… gasp… gasp… Now… for the other eye….! UGAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! AUUUUUUUUUUUUHGH!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD… DAMN IT!!!! …. There! Now you see!?... You're efforts… will die along with me…! Now leave!" A thump sound can be heard over the speaker after the event. It could be approximated that Shinobu is slumped against the wall. He still had some life in him, even after gouging out his own eyes, and thought it pained her to do so. Tsunade listened to Shinobu's final words. Someone had to…

"Th-this is… Shinobu Ish…Ishimaru… gasp… gasp Medical Ninja - Jounin Class… After much deliberation… I've decided… to end my creation… and analysis… of this jutsu… I… I hereby submit this report… to anyone…. Anyone…. Who…." The tape ends there. But Tsunade's tears had merely just started to flow. She couldn't believe what happened to such a gentle person as Shinobu. She felt cursed, sometimes… It seems that anyone she grew attached to in the past, they ended up dieing a death they did not deserve. That is… until she recently became Hokage… It seemed that only then, she was able to escape the cycle of death that involved those close to her… But it seems even Death is inescapable. It was a lesson she learned too soon. Suddenly, hearing footsteps from outside her door, she wiped away at her tears and tried to make herself more presentable.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama!" It was Kotetsu and Izumo. They were reporting in for their guard duty, as always. "Are you alright, Hokage-sama? Your eyes are red…"

"Oh, that!? I was just up all night looking through this report on Ishimaru-san. By the way, I want you two to bring two medical ninja, and a monitoring device in here a.s.a.p. Understood?

"Yes, ma'am!" The two ninja disappeared. Tsunade stood up and stretched a bit. '_Wait, good morning_? _Had I really been awake that long?_' Now that she mentioned it, Tsunade hadn't had a chance to put the batteries back into the clock mounted on her wall. Gazing at it, she noticed it was still the same time as it was when she removed its batteries. Looking outside the window, she noticed that the sun was just rising over the village. She'd been up all night reading the reports, and listening to Shinobu's voice. Well, this case was almost to a close. And with it, hopefully, her memory of Shinobu would be settled. Within 30 minutes, two medical ninja with a monitoring device showed up at Tsunade's office. Within moments, the equipment was set up and hooked up to Tsunade.

"Alright, tell me what my chakra level is right now…" The medical ninja closest to the machine took a look at its readings and reported back to her.

"Your body has about 80 of its chakra left, ma'am."

"Alright now, listen up. I'm going to perform a new jutsu in just a moment. I want both of you to monitor two things. One of you will notice any physical changes on my body, and the other will keep an eye on my vitals on the monitoring equipment. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" And so, they began their experiment. It turns out that Shinobu's calculations were off on this particular jutsu. According to the medical ninjas' analysis on Tsunade's vitals and physical appearance, this jutsu is actually not a ninjutsu, but a genjutsu that made its caster believe that they had more stamina than they actually believed. Their vitals remained the same, but their body was 'tricked' into thinking otherwise. In fact, the only thing that changed was that its user's pupils became extremely dilated. Unhooking the equipment and dispelling the effects of the jutsu, Tsunade stood up and exclaimed, "As the current Hokage of this village, I hereby deem the '_Sutaminagan_' unsafe by ninja in the field, and it is forever marked as a forbidden jutsu. Those caught attempting to use this jutsu will be punished to the full extent of the law... Hey! Are either of you getting any of this down!?" She checked if either of the two medical ninja was jotting down her declarations. They weren't her secretaries, but she had the ability to crush boulders with her pinky, so they did the 'right thing' and did as they were told.

"I will not allow ruin to fall onto anyone who is under my watch…! That's my ninja way." Tsunade looked towards the window, coming to terms with the case, and her feelings of watching over any and all that were in her care. She will forever protect them, as long as her body willed it so. But for now, it was time for a little R&R. "Now if you'll excuse me… the sake bar calls!" and with that, she was out the door with a smile to face the village, the world, and perhaps herself. With sake in hand, she will protect everyone close to her, and will keep to memory those who were dear to her, as well.

-Awake: End-

A/N: OWARI (the end)! I must apologize for not submitting this sooner. I had some trouble finding a way to continue after the ending statement from the previous chapter, and it ended up like this (Also, the site wouldn't let me for some odd reason... o.o). For those of you who don't get it, Shinobu killed himself, as his jutsu was both his creation, and his undoing. Isn't it wonderful when a creation comes back to claim its master? Well, this concludes this fanfic. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you did/didn't, send me a review or two.


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